Shower head



Feb. 2, 1960 E. H. BUCKNELL 2,923,482

SHOWER HEAD Filed May 5, 1955 679N557 h. EUCUA/fll IN V EN TOR.

United States Patent Ofiice 2,923,482 Patented Feb. 2, 1960 SHOWER HEAD Ernest H. Bucknell, Los Angeles, Caiifi, assignor of small percentages to various assignees Application May 5, 1955, Serial No. 506,150 Claims. (Cl. 239-591) This invention relates to an improved showerhead.

It is an object of this showerhead to provide in a showerhead means for eliminating corrosion of the housing.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a showerhead having means preventing clogging thereof.

As water is discharged from a showerhead an encrustation forms, usually lime deposits which tend to accumulate at the discharge extremity of the showerhead. It is therefore an object of this invention to provide means for reducing the formation of such deposits and further to permit elimination of such deposits that might form easily and rapidly.

Other objects and advantages will be readily apparent from the following description.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the showerhead.

Figure 2 is a section taken along line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a section taken along line 33 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a section taken along line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a perspective of the liner.

Water is supplied to the showerhead through the pipe 12 in the usual manner. The showerhead is mounted upon a ball 14 in a manner well known to those skilled in the art. A coupling 16 is internally threaded and has an inturned flange 18 having an internal diameter smaller than that of the ball 14. The showerhead has a housing 20 which is externally threaded at 22 to screw into coupling 16.

The housing may be of any suitable shape and size having the discharge opening 24 of reduced size.

Into the housing 20 there is forced a liner 26 which is formed of rubber or similar resilient material. The liner has a head 28 of greater size than the discharge opening 24, so that the end of the housing engages a groove 30 in the liner preventing withdrawal of the liner. The other extremity of the liner forms a seat 32 for the ball 14, preventing leakage and confining all water flow within the liner 26. The external configuration of the liner may vary with that of housing 20 but engages the housing as viewed in Figure 4 to support the liner in the housing and prevent its removal.

The liner is provided at the water inlet extremity with a chamber 33. A shoulder 34 is provided at the end of said chamber forming a support for the strainer 36. The strainer may be a screen or similar structure which prevents sand and other foreign matter from entering the remainder of the showerhead and in this construction is easily removable for cleaning or replacement.

Down stream from the screen a second chamber 38 is formed in liner 26 having a shoulder 40 supporting valve member 42. The valve member 42 has a centrally located aperture 44 permitting flow therethrough along the longitudinal axis of the showerhead. Formed in the liner through shoulder 34 are four flow passages 46 tangentially disposed with respect to the direction of flow through aperture 44. These passages are positioned outside the periphery of member 42 and direct water flow from chamber 32 into chamber 38 in such a manner as to break up.

the streams through aperture 44 and passages 46. Water flow through chamber 38 then passes through restricted flow passage 46 into discharge chamber 48 and hence is discharged in the same manner as an ordinary showerhead. Thus it is seen that there is no contact between the housing 29 and the water. Any deposit which may form is on liner 26, the strainer 36 or valve member 42. The latter two are readily removable for cleaning or replacement.

If a deposit forms within liner 26 the head 28 which projects beyond the housing 20 may be pinched by hand which will distort the liner breaking up the deposit and permitting same to be flushed from the showerhead.

While what hereinbefore has been described is the preferred embodiment'of this invention, it is readily apparent that alterations and modifications can be resorted to without departing from the scope of this invention.

I claim:

1. A showerhead adapted to be mounted upon a ball joint comprising a housing having an inlet and outlet, a resilient liner in said housing shielding said housing from contact with flow from said inlet to said outlet, one extremity of said liner projecting through said housing out let permitting distortion of said liner from outside said housing, the other extremity of said liner forming a seat for the ball.

2. A showerhead adapted to be mounted upon a ball joint comprising a housing having an inlet and outlet, a resilient liner in said housing shielding said housing from contact with flow from said inlet to said outlet, a head on one extremity of said liner projecting through said housing outlet and engaging the extremity of said housing preventing disengagement of said housing and liner and permitting distortion of said liner from outside said housing, and the other extremity of said liner forming a seat for the ball.

- 3. A showerhead adapted to be mounted upon a ball joint comprising a housing having an inlet and outlet, a resilient liner in said housing shielding said housing from contact with flow from said inlet to said outlet, one extremity of said liner projecting through said housing outlet permitting distortion of said liner from outside said housing, the other extremity of said liner forming a seat for the ball, said liner having a chamber therein, and means disposed in said chamber breaking up flow therethrough into a shower.

4. A showerhead adapted to be mounted upon a ball joint comprising a housing having an inlet and outlet, a resilient liner in said housing shielding said housing from contact with flow from said inlet to said outlet, one extremity of said liner projecting through said housing outlet permitting distortion of said liner from outside said housing, the other extremity of said liner forming a seat for the ball, said liner having a chamber therein, means disposed in said chamber breaking up flow therethrough into a shower, water straining means, and means in said liner supporting said water straining means in advance of said chamber.

5. A showerhead adapted to be mounted on a ball joint comprising: a housing having an inlet and an outlet, a resilient liner in said housing shielding said housing from contact with flow from said inlet to said outlet, one extremity of said liner forming a seat for the ball.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

